The College of Nursing recently honored its 2011-2012 student nurse scholarship recipients and their donors at the annual scholarship luncheon. This celebration serves to connect scholarship recipients with the donors who have positively impacted their academic experience.
Dr. Jean Leuner, dean of the College of Nursing, welcomed the donors and spoke about the importance of being able to recruit and retain the best and brightest students who will be the nurse leaders of the future. “Scholarship support is a critical factor that helps our students focus on their studies and the demands of a rigorous nursing education,” Leuner said.
Forty-seven scholarships totaling $65,000 were awarded to students, who average a 3.8 overall GPA, and are actively involved in the community. Chair of the scholarship committee, Dr. Jonathan Decker, impressed upon the audience how well-deserving each recipient is, given the fact that 602 scholarship applications were received this year.
Two Basic BSN students, junior Samuel Foarde and senior Alyssa Ausnehmer, shared their appreciation with the audience. Ausnehmer explained that her scholarships “have also affected me from a personal point of view. I have had the pleasure of meeting many generous and influential people who… have left me with fond feelings and everlasting memories. Through the donors’ kindness and commitment to rewarding hard work, the recipients of these scholarships are able to continue on with their education and pursue their dreams.”
Ausnehmer will be graduating with honors in May.
Foarde said: “Receiving these scholarships reaches far beyond our own thanks, rather the thanks of our future patients and their families.”
One highlight of the luncheon was the unveiling of a commissioned watercolor painting by local artist Dan Tilstra. The artwork hangs in the College of Nursing in honor of the generous scholarship supporters. It features the red clover, a flower recognized for its medicinal effects.
Throughout lunch, scholarship recipients spent time with their donor and received a commemorative photograph. The College of Nursing congratulates each of the student scholarship recipients and sincerely thanks the scholarship donors, without whom this partnership would not be possible.
Accepted nursing students can find a listing of scholarships by visiting the College of Nursing website, at https://www.nursing.ucf.edu/students/undergraduate-students/college-scholarships/ .
For information on making a donation toward a student scholarship please contact Katie Korkosz at 407-823-1600.